07 June 2014

Can Xiaomi Make It Outside of China? (video); Snowden Anniversary

Can Xiaomi Make It Outside of China?: Video - Bloomberg: (Allow video to load after clicking play)Former Google Executive Crid Yu and Bloomberg Businessweek’s Brad Stone discuss Xiaomi’s plans to expand overseas on Bloomberg Television’s “Bloomberg West.” (Source: Bloomberg 5 June 2014)Snowden, NSA scandal anniversary: Four things tech companies still need to do.: "One year ago, Edward Snowden gave the world an unprecedented wake-up call—a shock from which the public, governments, and industry are still stumbling to recover. The public has reacted, appropriately, with alarm, anger, and demands for information and reform. The U.S. government has responded, predictably, with embarrassment, obfuscation, and invocations of national security. As for the technology companies—which financially benefit from their status as stewards of our private information—well, it’s complicated. From the start, users’ trust was at the center of the tech companies’ concerns...."One year of NSA leaks: where are we now? | The Verge: ".... A year later, we're still figuring out where, when, and how we're being watched, and how much anyone can do about it. Courts, Congress, and the White House have faced reform challenges, and companies have attempted to allay fears that their networks and services are no longer secure. Reform efforts, though, have been halting and incomplete, stymied by political stonewalling and the difficulty of reconciling the NSA's denials with the documents leaked by former contractor Edward Snowden...."How the “Hype Cycle” explains MOOCs, big data, VR, and Google Glass.: "...Fenn is convinced that the cycle is more or less predictable and can be applied to business strategies as well as emerging technologies. Her 2008 book Mastering the Hype Cycle mentions customer loyalty cards, e-commerce, and the idea of “business models” as textbook examples. Each enjoyed a surge of hype, followed by a backlash and retrenchment, before reaching the plateau...."Exclusive: Inside the FBI's Fight Against Chinese Cyber-Espionage: "An American solar panel company wondered why Chinese firms kept undercutting their prices. Then the FBI knocked on their door...."Apple copies Android features --iOS 8: Android features that inspired Apple | BGR: "Apple’s recently unveiled iOS 8 mobile operating system has many interesting features, including some new tricks that have been available on a certain competing platform long before the iPhone maker found a way to implement them. Ars Technica has detailed as many as 12 features that have already been available to Android users long before Apple brought them to iOS 8. Some of these Android inspirations are more obvious than others, including the new QuickType typing suggestions in iOS 8, Apple’s support for third-party keyboard applications, the “Hey, Siri” hotword for always-on listening features, the limitedWidgets support in the Notification Center, the battery stats shown in iOS 8’s Settings, actionable notifications, and the improved photo backup in iCloud...."Vodafone: governments use secret cables to tap phones - Telegraph: "Government agencies are able to listen to phone conversations live and even track the location of citizens without warrants using secret cables connected directly to network equipment, admits Vodafone today"Apple's Beats buy the result of executive ignorance -- report - CNET: "Apple's management underestimated the importance of streaming music to consumers ... Apple's management failed to see Spotify or Pandora as threats, causing the company to "panic" and acquire Beats. "The management in particular were pretty much tone-deaf in what Spotify was and that's why they're panicking now," the source told Buzzfeed. "They didn't understand how Spotify worked, which is why they thought iTunes Radio would be a Spotify killer."...."Google’s Satellite Plan Would Boost Global Internet Competition | MIT Technology Review: "Similarly, if Google could beam Internet connectivity to countries that have only a single ISP—often one controlled by a government—and very high prices for Internet connectivity, “that could be a game changer for a huge swath of the globe,” says Rob Faris, research director at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard."Alibaba Weighs Good Fortune of No. 8 in Choosing IPO Date - Bloomberg: "....Chinese consider the number eight to be lucky because “ba” sounds like the word for prosperity, “fa.” Aug. 8 has worked for other momentous Chinese events in the past. The 2008 Beijing Olympics -- credited by the International Olympic Committee as an “indisputable success” -- commenced on 8/8/08...."